


The Alpha Collection

by vacci_piano



Series: Omega Assassins [10]
Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Desmond Miles Lives, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Kassandra lives, M/M, Multi, Omega Verse, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:54:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23820397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vacci_piano/pseuds/vacci_piano
Summary: Short (tiny) companion ficlets about alpha Assassins, set in theOmega Assassinsverse.Please pay special attention to each chapter's rating.Ch.1 - 𓍯𓆓𓇆 | Eutukhḗs ( εὐτυχής ) | Bayek/Aya | rated MBayek and Aya fight for the right to bond.Ch. 2 - Ambiguous | Maria/Robert (past), Altaïr/Malik (implied) | rated TMaria does not know what to make of the man who took Robert from her. Sequel to MutamaridCh. 3 - Wayward | Edward/various, Mary/Anne | rated TEdward's fatherhood gives him much to think about. Prequel to WahétkenCh. 4 - Fatige | Adéwalé/Bastienne, Adéwalé/Edward (past) | rated MAdéwalé needs to unwind. Sequel to WaywardCh. 5 - Ati anurakt ( अति अनुरक्त  )  | Evie/Henry | rated TEvie dreads her brother’s visit to India. Sequel to HalvedCh. 6 - Stáryj (старый) | rated TThe Assassins have come for Nikolai and his son. Sequel to KùnhuòCh. 7 - Desquiciado | Sofia/Cal | rated MHe's already mad. They didn't account for him getting better. Sequel to CaptiveCh. 8 - Mukhtar ( مختار ) | Layla/Sofia, Layla/Kassandra | rated TLayla’s job is to find out how they can defeat Juno. Sequel to Captive and Desquiciado
Relationships: Adéwalé/Bastienne Josèphe, Adéwalé/Edward Kenway, Anne Bonny & James Kidd | Mary Read, Anne Bonny/Edward Kenway, Aya | Amunet/Bayek (Assassin's Creed), Callum Lynch/Sofia Rikkin, Edward Kenway & Jennifer Scott, Edward Kenway/Caroline Scott Kenway, Edward Kenway/Tessa Kenway, Evie Frye/Henry Green | Jayadeep Mir, Layla Hassan/Kassandra, Layla Hassan/Sofia Rikkin, Nikolai Orelov/Anna Orelov, Robert de Sablé/Maria Thorpe
Series: Omega Assassins [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704466
Kudos: 26





	1. Bayek and Aya

**Author's Note:**

> 𓍯𓆓𓇆 | Eutukhḗs ( εὐτυχής )
> 
> Bayek/Aya, alpha/alpha, biting, knotting, rated M
> 
> They fight for the right to bond.

Eutukhḗs ( εὐτυχής )

They both knew this was coming.

Usually it is omegas who have to fear an alpha losing control, but their fear is a different kind of fear. Today, Bayek and Aya will become fully bonded, or one of them will die.

They have chosen today because Aya is not with child - yet. The risk they are taking is great, but for them not to try to claim each other is the greatest misfortune they can think of.

Bayek considers the woman he is giving his soul to. She is beautiful, now more than ever with all the cuts and bruises decorating her face and body. He never wants to see her like this again, but knowing what led to this, what can be achieved, sends a thrill down his spine. It leaves him shivering, defying the scorching sun its claim as it tries to burn his skin and deny him access to anything but a scalding fever.

Those wounds on her were gifted by him. In this moment, he is lucid enough; aches and bruises of his own mar his beaten body, and he feels them keenly. Welcomes them. That the two of them are so evenly matched is a blessing.

Aya's piercing stare makes him feel like he is being flayed open, layer by layer, until his skin is thin and oozing with blood that will never stop pumping through his exposed veins. He is lost to another bout of savagery, and his teeth close around her neck, but he does not get to sink them in time. Aya rears back her head before smashing it against his. The blow leaves him reeling and he loses consciousness.

*

They are at their favored meeting place again, their naked forms tangled together as they consider the setting sun on the horizon, and the many emerging stars above them. They have spent many nights like this, wondering if their half-bond would be enough. Whether they would be forced to let go of each other, their alpha natures not allowing them a moment of peace. One of them would be forced to raise the child alone, if one was given to them.

It is unnecessary, to think of such things. Such misfortune will not come to pass; there is a cure.

Aya turns to him, her eyes angry.

"Wake up," she commands, and he frowns in confusion, taken aback by her ferocity. Her fingers sink into his skin, her nails like an eagle's talons as they _rip_. "You dare leave me now?"

*

Bayek comes to, just in time to avoid Aya's fist. She is breathing heavily, her eyes somewhere between distant recognition and fury.

A bond between two alphas is rare for a reason. This he has always known, but for the first time, Bayek doubts their chances of success. His nostrils flare as Aya's pheromones assault his senses; the smell is thick like smoke. It both draws him in and repels him, and he feels his senses dull in favor of pure, un-distilled rage.

Whether either will recognize the other as their half-bonded - someone to be claimed - or a threat, is out of their hands now.

He makes a leap at her and loses time again. When his senses sharpen enough, they are both bleeding and broken, their breathing is ragged. His lungs feel heavy; his tongue can taste blood. To his relief, their bodies have chosen lust over rage. Her hand curls around between his legs. "Easy." He rasps and takes in Aya's wideblown eyes, her pupils large. She leans closer to nose at his throat and inhales.

"Do not move." Bayek has to tamp down every instinct inside him at her warning; the alpha in him wants to continue fighting. Bayek wants to submit. He must have already, since his bloodlust is gone.

Aya needs to see and feel her bonded; not a foe. If he makes the wrong move now, it could prove lethal, with her teeth so close. The knowledge does nothing to dissuade his desire for her. Carefully, he brings his mouth to Aya's and then she is snarling, devouring what belongs to her. He is already hard and leaking; it will not take much to _let go_. When her lips travel from his mouth to the pulse at his neck, to the gland, she becomes unhurried.

Her delay will not do. _Not now_. Bayek growls.

"Beloved. You must bite me."

"Hard?"

"Hard."

She bites and he comes with a shout; the venom makes quick work and he feels their bond lock into place. It is both familiar and new; it was there already, but now it is strong, unbreakable. And just like that, every instinct changes from _kill_ to _protect_. Her body stills, and instantly he can tell it is the same for her.

As they lose themselves in each other, the last of their clothes torn and discarded, she welcomes him, slow and deep. His knot starts to form. Only thing left to do now; it is his turn to bite, and she comes with a shout that puts his earlier one to shame. His seed finds fertile ground; the muscles inside her contract around his length.

*

To have a child – a s _on_ and heir – born from two alpha parents, is the highest fortune they can be blessed with.

Aya would do _anything_ for her child.

How fitting then, that his death would not free her from her oath, but shackle her, make the wounds fester. Her bonded lets her keep her sanity, but only just; together, they grieve. Apart, they murder and maim.

Those who would see her without her fortune will learn what she is like without it.

*

translations:

εὐτυχής = _lucky_ (pronounced eutukhḗs)

𓍯𓆓𓇆 = _fortunate, happy_ (adjective, Hieroglyphic Middle Egyptian)

(Not entirely sure about the pronunciation, I’m _not_ fluent in hieroglyphics and would rather you do your own research than take my word for it.)

Further notes: Egyptians of the time spoke Greek and Demotic. (As years passed, Hieroglyphic -> Hieratic -> Demotic. The “surviving” Egyptian language, Coptic, is the descendant of Demotic.) I have chosen not to include Demotic in the title, because I’m not fluent (who is?) and in this case, can’t bullshit my way through. I _think_ the word sḫny sfr (pronounced something like sheny sefer?), what I understand to mean good fortune, might be the start of what I’m looking for. But as Demotic = ligatures, getting the right symbol(s) with my lack of knowledge and skill is nigh impossible.


	2. Maria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> title: Ambiguous
> 
> Maria/Robert (past), Altaïr/Malik (implied), rated T
> 
> Maria does not know what to make of the man who took Robert from her. Sequel to Mutamarid ( متمرد )

Ambiguous

Robert De Sable had seen value where no-one else had. This is made abundantly clear by his passing; Maria rubs the ring on her finger, reminding herself what she gave up to join the Templars and why. She’s transported back in time to an empty, damp castle, so cold even the Sun fails to reach it and warm its habitants. She remembers the omega chosen for her and abandoning him before their arranged bonding; taking nothing with her but her name, the clothes on her back and a sword, her faithful companion since she was a girl.

Robert had made it clear what he required of her. She gave him what he asked, would have given more if he had only said the words. Maria would have given her life for Robert, but the cursed Assassin would not take it, and still it would not have changed the outcome. The Assassin has proven more resourceful than she gave him credit for, and it escapes her reason, why he would keep her alive. It worries her.

Would it not be easier, to see her draw her last breath? Or perhaps he means to tempt her with his scent, humiliate her? It will not work. He talks to her, like she is not his enemy. She offers him no such kindness, but her spiteful words seem to have no effect on him.

“I know someone with a sharper tongue than yours. You two would get along well, I think.”

*

She was almost knighted under Robert’s tutelage. Now, she is a pest?

Their new Grandmaster is an affront to Robert’s memory. Bouchart implies De Sable’s death is on her, her womanhood, her _betrayal_ ; he knows it to be a lie, but he means to insult her, insult Robert. She would slash his throat open if she could.

If Robert were here, he would guide her sword and praise her for her loyalty. She does not know if he ever meant the words, the ones said to her in private, but it matters not. She believed in him, in his cause. Maria Thorpe does not believe in Armand Bouchart.

Her cause is shaken.

*

Bouchart is dead.

Had she been a better fighter, had Altaïr not ended him first, her sword would carry his blood. Maria sees no future for her in the Holy Land, not among the Templars. She thought she might chase Robert’s shadows, but there are none to be found.

Her tightly kept hair is tugging at her scalp. She has to let it loose or cut it, otherwise she will risk a headache.

Curious, this Altaïr. Strange to feel no ill will towards the man who took Robert from her. When asked, she tells Altaïr about traveling to the East and the world beyond. He tells her he would do the same in search of knowledge, to better understand the Apple, but there is someone he needs to see. “My heat is coming soon. I intend to have my alpha take care of me.”

Now that she looks closer, she can make out the outlines of a bite. Maria is surprised to learn the omega is bonded; not many alphas would let a bonded omega risk his or her life, to travel alone, doing what Altaïr has been doing.

Maria decides then that a friendship with Altaïr and his alpha will prove interesting. India can wait for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bloodlines is an unintentionally hilarious game. If you haven’t already, go play it or watch a walkthrough. Better yet, do it with your friends and see who can offer the best commentary.


	3. Edward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> title: Wayward
> 
> Edward/Caroline, Edward/Tessa, Mary/Anne, Edward/Anne (implied), Edward/Adéwalé if you squint, rated T
> 
> Edward's fatherhood gives him much to think about. Prequel to Wahétken

Wayward

Edward thinks he might have been glad to have died at sea, if it would have granted Caroline security, to allow her to bond to someone else, someone who could have given her everything she deserved. His love would have been enough for her; he sees that now, but pride made him blind when she most needed him. He has gone after everything he has ever wanted, without thought for consequence, and what does he have to show for it? Death walks beside him but they have not met in person. Once, he thought he was lucky to be alive, but is it not misfortune itself, to be alone and left behind?

Jenny needs him now. He will not fail a second time, and this time he will take a different approach. For that to happen, he needs to live. He must give up piracy entirely, use his amassed fortune and riches to buy a title and land, a place where he can raise his child, somewhere befitting a gentleman's daughter.

*  
She does not bother looking at him anymore. She has never forgiven him for abandoning her mother, and now that she has presented as an omega, he has denied her her birthright; the blade that was supposed to go to her, has been granted to Haytham in her stead. Her eagle vision is faint, almost blind. Her wings have been clipped. Edward will take her daughter's anger, so long as she is protected.

Edward wishes Jenny and Tessa got along better, they have so much in common. Tessa does not like looking at him either, despite their bond. (He has heard second bonds are alike to first bonds, but it is not like it was with Caroline. Perhaps _he_ was never meant to bond.)

It is times like these that he longs for Adéwalé's council. Before, he would not hear it, when it was freely given; today, he would welcome it with open arms and with kisses if need be, but cannot have it. Seas and the passing of time stand between him and his former quartermaster. It is better this way. If Adéwalé had not chosen a different path, he would be just one of many, lost too soon. Thatch, Hornigold, Bonnet, Rackham, Vane... Mary.

Mary's son lives with Anne. It had taken time, errors and a lot of bribing, but she found him, eventually. She loves the boy as if she bore him, and this one lived to see the dawn of the day. Edward suspects Mary and Anne had intended to bond to each other, after Rackham's passing. It must have been hell to have been separated from each other during all those months, knowing the other was there within the same walls, but out of sight. Waiting, hoping.

She's better now - harsh life has taught her not to dwell on misery - and not a day goes by she does not honor her beloved's memory or her own stolen motherhood. Edward has not seen her since she sang a song for him in honor of their fallen friends, but they write to each other, make sure both are busy living, not mourning. Their shared grief is what pushed them not to bond; they had a son and a daughter to look after. Now he has a son, too.

He should write her again. Haytham has proven himself a capable student and Edward could not be prouder. The boy's keen eyes betray the kind of cleverness Edward has never seen in himself; it is enough to make him doubt they share the same blood, the boy and him. He had told Tessa as much, once, and received a slap to his face for the thoughtless jest.

It is a pity Jenny's resentment towards her father has grown to include her brother. It will pass. She will come to understand.

He seals his newest letter - to one Reginald Birch - and thinks on what he wants to tell Jenny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edward's amazing. His parenting skills? Ehh...


	4. Adéwalé

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> title: Fatige
> 
> Adéwalé/Bastienne Josèphe, Adéwalé/Edward (past), alpha Adéwalé, omega Bastienne, mentions of torture and abuse, rated M
> 
> Adéwalé needs to unwind. Sequel to Wayward

Fatige

Edward has been on his mind of late.

He feels melancholy about the way they parted. One day they will meet again. When that day comes - and it will come, of that, he is certain, for Edward might need guidance without a proper compass, but there is growing courage in the man - Adéwalé will be there to greet him as a friend. Their affection for each other was born out of companionship, sometimes lust, not from any true want for each other. They could not even manage a half-bond - a rarity among paired pirates - but it had been good while it lasted.

Curious then, that he is so content to lay beside a woman he both admires and wants, making no effort to move and embrace her.

"Curious?" She laughs and turns to muffle her voice into his bare shoulder, before she gives it a playful nip. "We are both burdened by the exploits of the day."

Their hands play with each other, but neither goes further. It is comfortable and quiet here.

Earlier, when the sun was still out, Adéwalé had stopped a slaver from using his machete from cutting a runaway's foot. His blade had met the slaver easily, marking the corpse as his own. The freed slave had been grateful; it was then that Adéwalé had seen the missing fingers. If not for work in the fields and tending the crops, an omega or a woman might be kept for other uses, but no slaver has use for a maimed alpha male beyond cruel sport. Adéwalé arranged safe passage for the alpha and gifted him with a weapon, but he knows it will not be enough.

Bastienne had looked just as exhausted when he retired to La Dame en Rose for the day and greeted him. There had been no need to exchange words; just a look, a touch. He does not ask what ails her, and in return, she does not pry, either. She is stronger than she looks. She would have to be, for her to be an omega and run her business as efficiently as she does. That no-one has laid claim on her is a testament to her cunning and skills. In a world where everything is stacked against her, she has triumphed. He feels honored in her presence.

He looks at her form and dark skin; there never was a woman as beautiful as her, he thinks. It is enough sustenance for the day. He will never be happy as long as there is work to be done, but happiness will find him even during his darkest moments, with her by his side. He hopes Edward will be just as lucky, and it is this thought that wipes away the last vestiges of his guilt. His former captain might have had need for him once, and perhaps not much has changed in that regard, but Adéwalé’s brothers and sisters come first. He falls asleep to the sound of Bastienne’s beating heart against his ear.

*

translations:

Fatige = tired

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Freedom Cry is my fav DLC after ToKW.


	5. Evie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> title: Ati anurakt ( अति अनुरक्त ) 
> 
> Evie Frye/Henry Green | Jayadeep Mir, Arbaaz Mir/Pyara Kaur (mentioned), rated T
> 
> Evie dreads her brother’s visit to India. Sequel to Halved

Ati anurakt ( अति अनुरक्त )

Jayadeep Mir excelled in every area of his studies but one. He had no hunger. Ethan Frye understood this, but Jayadeep’s father, Arbaaz, couldn’t accept it. At times, his love for his son seemed to be held prisoner by his expectations of a son who could follow in his footsteps. Jayadeep’s mother loved her son dearly, but was perhaps too forgiving of her bonded’s neglect. The more disappointed Arbaaz grew with his son, the more she seemed to tolerate this sentiment.

Jayadeep often wondered, if his parents hadn’t been fully bonded, whether Pyara would have chosen him over Arbaaz. The most precious lesson his parents ever taught him, was the love a bonded mate could bestow. And now Evie is his.

Henry tells Evie about his earliest memories, when they are sated in bed and the air is cooling around them. It is a warm, pleasant night, the sky painted in hues of purple. She draws stories of her own upon his skin with the barest touch of a finger, until he falls asleep, and she is left alone with her thoughts. With these stories, Evie has started to understand her brother better. It’s a pity she can’t talk to him, and no letter would do her words justice.

*

Their girl has already disappeared outside after finishing a bowl of rice with buttermilk and spices – her favourite – when Henry tells Evie to invite her brother to stay with them for a while. At first she’s elated, but then…

Fear.

“She wants to meet him. And,” Henry brings her against him in a gentle sweep, “you told me he is better.”

Yes, Jacob had written that. “Of course.” She gives her bonded a weak smile, but she can’t fool herself. She’s terrified.

That night, Evie does not draw on Henry’s skin; her hands are folded protectively over her belly. It’s been years after they became fully bonded, and Evie’s never regretted not being able to conceive. If it were to happen, it would’ve happened already; it’s not unusual for alpha women to be denied progeny. It doesn’t bother her and Henry has never blamed her. He seems content to have her and their girl, their little family of three. Even if Evie was able to give Henry another daughter or son, this one by blood, it wouldn’t heal her heartbreak, or Henry’s. Alphas are meant to protect, but how is she to protect them from what’s to come?

*

She didn’t know how empty her heart had been in Jacob’s absence. It swells when she takes in how well her brother looks. His cheeks are no longer sunken, his skin has no sickly pallor to it, no shadows under his eyes. She could _weep_ , but her and Jacob have never been that sentimental, so instead she settles on feeling proud of her brother and punches him in the shoulder. They hug, and then she punches him again.

They race across the rooftops. Used to Jacob’s pace and being the nimble sort, Jack keeps up with her brother easily, but both are left in the dust; Evie isn’t even breaking a sweat. Soon they’re joined by the rest of their brethren, eager to greet their English sister’s infamous brother, the terror of London. The streets below them are ever busy, filled with a bustling crowd, and the heady scent of spices. Evie thinks this a much better city; couldn’t Jacob be persuaded to stay?

*

Jacob wrings his hands, looking nervous. He’s been trying to gather his courage and they’ve been standing outside for too long.

“Jacob,” his eyes find hers, “she _wants_ to see you.” His breath stutters when he exhales, and he nods. Closing his eyes, he takes another moment, before he truly appears calm.

“You have to know, sister. Not a day goes by I don’t think of her, but I… I don’t mean to take her from you.” It feels like a gut punch and Evie has to remind herself to keep calm. He keeps going. “That’s not my purpose here, to take her from you and Henry. I wouldn’t presume… That is to say, you have raised her in my absence. It’s _you_ who has more right to her.”

“Then… You would allow her to live here, still? With us.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” She throws herself into his arms, and a sob escapes her. Jacob gives a laugh and squeezes her sides. “For being the clever one, you can be so daft sometimes.”

“Shut up, Jacob.”

Evie supposes she can’t keep Jacob from returning to London, but she thinks a piece of him will live here, with her, always. It’s the best kind of happiness she’s ever known.

*

translations:

Ati anurakt ( अति अनुरक्त ) = doting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can be a long-distance dad/mom and still be supportive.
> 
> What’s with AC and shitty dads, anyway? They should start a club, honestly.


	6. Nikolai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> title: Stáryj (старый)
> 
> Nikolai Orelov/Anna Orelov (past), rated T
> 
> The Assassins have come for Nikolai and his son. Sequel to Kùnhuò

Stáryj (старый)

Innokenti learns to fight; meanwhile, in another time, Daniel Cross learns to hate.

*

Kenya watches, _furious_ , as the man who made the shot harasses his Papa with more violence. He sees red, means to save his Papa, but then someone steals his knife and shoves him down and away. When Kenya gets back on his feet, the man is already dead, his death so silent, the wound on his throat so clean, no gurgling of blood heralds his passing.

He creeps closer. Even without his knife, he’s not useless.

“Anya…”

“Hello, Kolya.”

Kenya feels himself stumble. Did Papa say Anna? No… He said Anya. It’s not his mother; she’s too young. But Papa knows this woman. The woman is crouched over Papa’s leg.

“Did he get your knee?” She asks, her voice gentle. Papa clenches his jaw, eyes lowered. She tears a scrap of fabric from the dead man’s trousers and ties it around the wounded leg, tying up the ends with a tight knot. “Can you walk?”

Anya tells them there’s one more Assassin left in the forest with them, coming for them. They need to make a trail, to make him follow; Nikolai’s blood has a powerful scent. They make it to a cliff, and then Anya disappears up a tree. Nikolai and Innokenti raise their hands in the air, in wait of false surrender.

*

Anya had gone back to get supplies and the small tent. It’ll be a tight squeeze, and it’ll be warm. A peachy bloom has taken over the sky by the time Anya catches up to them. They make camp; Kenya puts fire to the pieces of dry wood he’d collected, as Anya tends to his Papa’s wound. The bullet went through so it’s easy enough to stop the blood-flow and sew it up, but the knee will never be the same again.

“My name is Anna,” she tells Kenya, “but you can call me Anya, like your father.”

Nikolai tries to ignore the pain. It’ll hurt more tomorrow, but he doubts the wound will let him get much sleep tonight either. Can he move fast enough? There will be more men after him and his boy.

If only he could have spared Kenya this life…

But Anya is here.

In exchange for kindness shown to a grieving child, he has bought his son time. He stole his own child’s innocence too soon, but it had to be done. Kenya is protected by his training and Anya both.

“How did you find us?” Nikolai asks.

“The Brotherhood has eyes on you, just as I’ve had my eyes on them for a while. I didn’t want to approach you, before. I wasn’t sure if you’d left this life behind.” She looks at his hood with a somber face. “I guess you wanted to but couldn’t.”

When they are warmed by the fire, she addresses him again. “I bring news of your wife and daughter.”

Both Nikolai and Kenya startle; Kenya stands up, eyes wide.

“Anna didn’t make it. I am… So very sorry for your loss. She became ill, shortly after she made it back to Russia.” Nikolai’s eyes glisten and he makes no sound as he starts to weep, silent. Anna continues. “Nadya lives in Moscow. She has a husband and a child of her own. She misses you very much, but understands your separation. I made sure she knew you were still alive, you and Innokenti both, but also why it was important to keep it a secret. Even her husband doesn’t know. Here,” Anya reaches into her jacket, and brings out a family portrait. Nikolai accepts it with trembling fingers.

Kenya sits next to his Papa and looks at her sister. She looks happy.

Anya lets them grieve in silence; her hunting won’t take long, and then they can eat. Their bodies will need to be strong. She will train the boy in Shao Jun’s fashion, mind made up after she had taken note of the boy’s movements earlier. He’ll grow up to be strong like his father, but there’s a litheness to his movements that can be honed and perfected. Nikolai is old, and Anya will do what she can to ease the alpha’s burden. She can shoulder the boy’s hate, when the training gets too vicious. Let Nikolai and Innokenti enjoy what good they still have.

*

translations:

Stáryj (старый) = old

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nikolai and Anna are reunited. Because if you’re gonna stick someone as notable as _the_ Romanov into the canon universe and give her Assassin skills, _you don’t just throw her away_.


	7. Callum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desquiciado
> 
> Sofia Rikkin/Callum Lynch (one-sided), Aguilar/Maria (mentioned), mentions of underage sexual abuse, asexual Callum Lynch, rated M
> 
> He's already mad. They didn't account for him getting better. Sequel to Captive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for mentioned sexual abuse of a minor.

Desquiciado

After his mother's death and the insanity that came with it, Cal did whatever it took to survive. He discovered how much his body could sell for. _Children are a delicacy_. If you know who's buying.

He thinks that's when he started slipping. It brought money to the table, so he kept doing it - until he presented as an alpha. Suddenly, he wasn't young enough, vulnerable enough. But he'd made friends with some of the ones who kept working; even when his own ventures took him elsewhere. It was only natural that even without bonds, he became _their_ alpha, someone to scare away the bad customers trying to visit outside working hours, the employers with no health _care_.

Some fucker on his block was trying to hurt one of his friends.

He doesn't regret it, taking a life, doesn't understand why they ask for his guilt; he's got a taste for blood, so they lock him away, let his madness fester. Suits him just fine. It's not like he has much use for sanity, not in this life.

His drawings keep growing in number; he likes the company. Cal lays on his prison bed, minutes, hours, and in the dark, the drawings come to life, the images an echo of something familiar.

*

Sofia is trying very hard to be calm in his presence, like she's trying to prove she's not scared of the big bad wolf. To others, it looks natural, but he _sees_ her. He's dangerous all right, but not like that. He hasn't touched anyone since he presented. Wouldn't want to.

He sees how Aguilar watches Maria, experiences what he thinks is want, but it's not... Him. He'd talked to a shrink once. It's just how he's wired. His past might've influenced his behavior, but it's not why he's the way he is. Cal's lack of an appetite is about the only thing about him that's normal and makes sense.

He's never had to learn, so he picks up on how Aguilar might behave. Sofia expects something from him, so it’s better he acts like he’s got something to give. If it's a game she wants, he'll play along. She thinks she has influence over him, if she watches him with her big, doe eyes _just so_. He meets her gaze with the eyes of a predator, shoulders relaxed but his body moving with controlled movements. There's an undercurrent of charged intimacy. She leans forward, placing a hand on the chair Cal's sitting on, as if she's building a friendly environment for him.

He never even kisses her, but she's convinced she has his devotion.

*

Alphas respond better to omegas. An omega's gentle demeanor inspires confidence in the receiving alphas. It's how Sofia's gotten to where she is. Aggression would only hinder her efforts, and what she's doing is so very important. When she offers kindness, she expects results.

She had been horrified to discover what had been done to subject 16. The others too, but his fate weighs upon her the most. Now, she runs a _rehabilitation_ center. In time, with the right care, some of them will recover, enough to be of use again. She's managed to convince her father not to put some of them in the Animus, not until they're intact.

Madness can't be cured, but it can be maintained.

If her experiments with Callum Lynch prove successful, the other subjects will be given into her complete care and no-one else will touch them without her permission. Her father wouldn’t lie to her.

She looks at the patient files at the corner of her screen and is overcome with a new surge of determination.

_An Apple a day keeps the doctor away._

*

He’s always been a good salesman – selling stolen goods, he’d have to be – so he knows when someone’s selling.

He’s not buying.

Sofia gives him his mother’s necklace. Alan bribes him with his father’s throat. He abandons both. He doesn’t need an incentive to do what he already means to.

He didn’t account for his vengeance to turn into acceptance of the Creed. It’s not like he’s found a new religion, but it makes sense like his drawings made sense. He likes the company.

You can’t go mad if you’re mad already. It's a tired old joke, but it doesn't make it any less true. The more Cal uses the Animus, the clearer his thoughts feel. The Bleeding Effect is bleeding _into_ him, making him whole, filling in the gaps.

He's never felt more lucid in his life.

*

It must be contagious. Why else would she let him steal the one person she still had left in this world? Did she want this? She gave him her trust and in return he gave her his madness.

"I'm here to help you. And you're here to help me."

She could spit on him, but it was she who gave him free reign.

*

translations:

Desquiciado = deranged, unhinged

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The movie’s trash, but I’d pay to see a sequel with Sofia and Ellen Kaye, just chillin’ and being evil.
> 
> You want to root for Sofia but her actions make her just as awful as those she looks down on, if not worse, and she's armed with better PR.


	8. Layla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mukhtar ( مختار )
> 
> Layla/Sofia Rikkin (implied), Layla/Kassandra (one-sided), rated T
> 
> Layla’s job is to find out how they can defeat Juno. Sequel to Captive and Desquiciado

Mukhtar ( مختار )

Layla has trouble weaving the images of the Sofia she knows with the one Cal has told her about. It's not that she doesn't believe him; it's that she does – it’s easier than it should be – but doesn't want to.

Does Sofia know what happened to Deanna? Did _she_ authorize it?

She goes through her old e-mails, the ones sent when she was still working for Abstergo. Most of them are sent to Sofia, most of them remain unanswered. Once, Layla had thought she'd mattered to the omega, that Sofia had seen something in the alpha, but looking back, these e-mails tell a different story.

They'd had something, hadn't they...?

Desmond had told it best. _Doesn’t matter. The end results are the same, what happened still happened. But it matters who was there and who wasn’t._

*

Juno is terrifying. The Abstergo know _of_ her, but they don’t know much, or the specific details of her partial resurrection. She’s slowly growing in power, and it’s Layla’s job to go deeper and deeper in the past to find artifacts from the first civilization, find out how the Isu were defeated in the first place.

Bayek and Aya had been a sort of revelation. Layla joins the Assassins, wanting to – _needing to_ – see more, dig deeper.

She does.

Kassandra is devastating, taking on warriors and beasts, prevailing, battle after battle. And the number of her lovers… Layla’s not ashamed to admit she’d gladly join their ranks, with a childish sort of realization that she can’t.

*

Layla takes in the pebbled beaches of Santorini, its salted air. The best spots are littered with tourist traps, offering plastic mementos, cheap refreshments and bad karaoke once night falls; for now, it’s blissfully empty of people, the heat having driven everyone but the locals away.

Later, she will think how the island’s not a bad place to spend the rest of your life in. Not bad at all.

She boards _Altaïr II_ again, intending to take the plunge and finish her search.

*

That she meets Kassandra in person, robs her of all rational thought, but only for a moment. She gets over herself when she realizes the opportunity she’s been given.

Kassandra means to give the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus to her; Layla would accept, but more than the staff, she needs Kassandra. The _misthios_ will have answers no other living person can offer. She believes in balance; to have lived this long with the same mindset, she’s beyond corruption.

It’s selfish to ask this of someone who has grown weary of wars, has seen too much, but she refuses to give in. And if, maybe, Layla could help alleviate some of the stress, it’s not like she’s opposed to the idea.

*

Translations:

Mukhtar ( مختار ) = selected, chosen

misthios = mercenary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s a wrap!
> 
> Thank you to my silent readers, for taking the time to read my stuff even if it wasn’t to your liking, and hugs to those who left kudos, and for those who commented, kudos to you, tenfold! Posting and writing these daily has been insane, honestly.


End file.
